DIGITAL LIBRARY OF LAO MANUSCRIPTS

DLLM: Help

• General Help
• Site Help
• Search Help
• Results Help
• Text Overview Help

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General Help

• Comments
• Favourites
• Fonts and Website Text
• Images
• PLMP Code Numbers
• Search
• Support
• Translations

Comments

We welcome your comments about the DLLM website and suggestions for improvement or reports of difficulties or errors you have encountered. Research findings about the texts, corrections to the Inventory data, academic papers, links or other related information and resources which could be added to the site are also welcome.

A form is provided on the Contact Us page of this website in order to send us your comments. Click here to go to the Contact Us page.

Registered users of the DLLM site can also post comments with particular texts. The collected comments can be viewed on the DLLM Text Comments page.

Favourites

Options to ‘Add to Favourites’ and to ‘View Favourites’ appear on most of the DLLM web pages, including Search Results. This allows users to keep a personal record of texts or searches, and to write notes related to them.

To use favourites and to save your data in order to view again in later sessions, you will need to register by entering your email address and a password.

Fonts and Website Text

The text is encoded using Unicode. You may need to install a Unicode Lao font on your computer for the Lao script to display correctly. Click here to download the Lao font Saysettha OT.

The size of the text font on the DLLM website has been optimised for most users. If you find that it is difficult to read on a higher resolution monitor, then it can be enlarged by using ‘Control +’ on PC or ‘Command +’ on Mac.

Images

It was not possible to make adjustments to individual images during the digitisation process due to their huge number. While most images are clearly legible, there is considerable variation due to the condition of the original manuscript and also the quality of the microfilm copy used for digitisation. In some cases where downloaded images are difficult to read, significant improvements can be made using image enhancement tools such as those found in Adobe Photoshop. Click here to see a guide to image enhancement for users of the DLLM collection.

A zoom feature is provided on the Text Overview page. Users can also click on ‘Show large image’ and enlarge the box to see a larger or full-screen image. Once downloaded, images can be enlarged using viewing software.

Single images can be downloaded by copying to your computer. On PC, use Right Click, then select ‘Copy Image’ or ‘Save Image As…’. On Mac, use Control + Click (or Right Click) and select ‘Save Image to the Desktop’ or ‘Save Image As…’.

There is an option to ‘Download this text’ as a zipped folder of 72 ppi JPEG images. Please note that the file sizes of some texts are very large and may take time depending upon your Internet connection. The size of the file is given on the web page.

Downloaded images may be used for personal study, or for educational use on the web or in presentations. If you require higher quality 300 ppi JPEG images for publication, please Contact DLLM.

PLMP Code Numbers

Each text surveyed and microfilmed in the Preservation of Lao Manuscripts Programme was given a unique 13-digit PLMP Code Number, which appears in the naming convention used for the digital images in the DLLM collection.

The first 6 digits of the code number identifies the location (province, district, and temple or village), the next 2 digits identify the category, the next 3 digits identify the manuscript bundle, and the final 2 digits identify the text within the bundle.

This number appears at the bottom of each manuscript image. A search option is provided on the Home page for all 13 digits (for a unique text) or the first 11 digits only (for all the digitised texts within a particular manuscript bundle).

Note: In a few cases, the Code Number appearing on the PLMP data sheet and at the bottom of the digital image frames has been corrected in the DLLM collection. All such cases are noted under Remarks in the inventory.

Search

See Search Help below.

Support

The National Library of Laos has an ongoing programme of manuscript preservation, research, and related work such as direct digitisation of texts. Click here to Contact Us if you would like to support this work.

Translations

The Digital Library of Lao Manuscripts makes primary sources available for study and does not yet include translations of texts. The Bibliography contains references for translations of some Pali and vernacular texts. Click here to see the DLLM Bibliography.

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Site Help

For an overview of the contents of the site, see the Site Map. A Site Search option appears on all pages except for ‘Search the Database’ and is enabled to search the DLLM database in addition to the static web pages. If you have difficulties using or navigating the site, we welcome your comments and suggestions in order to make improvements. Click here to send us your comments.

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Search Help

• Search Tips
• Search by Title
• Search by Ancillary Term
• Search by Language
• Search by Script
• Search by Category
• Search by Material
• Search by Location
• Search by Date
• Restrict a Search using 'Show Only'
• Search by PLMP Code Number

Search Tips

On the Search the Database page, it is possible to search by Title, Ancillary Term, Language, Script, Category, Material, Location, and Date. Click the small triangle to the left of the main search option to reveal or to hide the selections. For each search option, more than one title, language etc., can be can be included in your search. If more than one title and more than one language is selected, for example, then the search will be for Title 1 or Title 2 in Language 1 or Language 2. That is, selecting many titles or languages, etc. from within any one search option will broaden the search, whereas selecting from different search options will narrow the search to only titles in a specific language, etc. If no selection is made, the default entry for all search options is ‘any.’ Options are available to restrict searches to show only illustrated texts and/or only texts with colophons.

The Site Search (available on all pages except the Search the Database page) can be used to search for any data appearing in the DLLM Database in addition to the static web pages. In addition, searching directly via Google in English or Lao will also yield results for titles or other data in the DLLM database.

On the Home page, the PLMP Code Number can be used to find individual texts (using the full 13-digit code) or bundles (using the first 11 digits of the code).

Click here to see more details of these entries and the DLLM Inventory.

Search by Title

There are two options for searching by title: begin typing a title into the ‘Enter a title’ auto-complete text box and then select from the listed titles, or browse and select title search terms from the alphabetical lists. The ‘Enter a title’ auto-complete text box searches for titles containing whatever title or part of a title is typed in. These are simplified lists to facilitate search and do not include orthographic variants or ancillary terms. It is possible to include more than one title in your search. If no title is entered or selected, the default search is for ‘any title.’ This enables, for example, to search for all titles in a particular language, script, etc., or any combination of the other search options.

Titles in the DLLM inventory are rendered according to the actual title given on the original, which can differ from the PLMP data sheet titles found at the top of each digital image. For example, texts without titles are inventoried as ‘Untitled’ in the digital collection even where a title has been assigned to a text by a PLMP researcher and therefore appears on the data sheets and microfilm images. In such cases, the assigned title appears in brackets after the word ‘Untitled’ to facilitate search. Any such discrepancies are noted in the inventory under Remarks. In the case of orthographic variants, the Inventory preserves the diversity of the originals.

Please note that the Romanised Lao title is given before the Romanised Pali in the case of monolingual Pali texts, e.g. Thammabot / dhammapada. This means that when selecting titles via the alphabetical tabs, Pali titles beginning with ‘D’ or ‘Dh,’ for example, are found under the tab for ‘T.’ However, when using the ‘Enter a title’ auto-complete text box, it is possible to search by typing in Pali titles using the system of Romanisation found in the Critical Pali Dictionary. A full list of monolingual Pali titles can also be found by searching for Monolingual Pali under the Search by Language option.

Click here for details of the rendering of Pali consonants in Lao script and their DLLM Romanisation.
Click here for details of the Romanisation system.

Search by Ancillary Term

A list of supplementary terms found in titles is provided as a search option. The list includes genres of text, such as salong, tamnan, jataka/sadok, translatory renderings such as śabda/sap, nissaya/nisai, vohara/vohan, metric forms such as khong, kham kon, samasa/samat, as well as titles and terms of address such as kampha, cao, thao, nang, phanya, etc. These are generally not included in the alphabetical Title Search list. It is possible to include more than one term in your search.

Search by Language

Searchable by Monolingual Pali, Lao, Lan Na, Tai Lue, Tai Nuea, Tai Dam, Thai, Other, or by Pali and vernacular combinations: ‘Pali and Lao,’ ‘Pali and Lan Na,’ ‘Pali and Tai Lue,’ ‘Pali and Tai Nuea,’ or ‘Pali and Thai.’ It is possible to include more than one of these in your search. Click here for more information and resources for languages and scripts found in the Collection.

Search by Script

Searchable by Tham Lao, Lao Buhan, Tham Lan Na, Tham Lue, Lik Tai Nuea, Khom, Tai Dam, Thai, or Other. It is possible to include more than one script in your search. Click here for more information and resources for languages and scripts found in the Collection.

Search by Category

The DLLM Collection uses the same system of categorisation as the Preservation of Lao Manuscripts Programme (PLMP), which is designed to facilitate search for texts. The exception is that the PLMP Category 04 Monolingual Pali is now under Language and does not appear in the list of categories.

Categories for Vinaya, Sutta, and Abhidhamma include related texts which are not to be found in the Theravada Canon. The category Jataka includes both canonical and non-canonical birth-stories. Anisong/Salong/Song is for texts describing the rewards of meritorious deeds (commonly called salong in Lao).

It is possible to include more than one category in your search.

Search by Material

The vast majority of manuscripts in the DLLM collection are palm-leaf. It is possible to include more than one material in your search.

Search by Location

Searchable via a list of Lao provinces and three special collections: National Library of Laos, Vientiane, and the Provincial Museum or Vat Mai Suvannaphumalam, Luang Prabang. Within each province, more detailed searches can be made at the District and at the Temple or Village levels, by clicking to expand the selection. It is possible to include more than one location in your search.

There is also an option on the Overview page (when viewing a particular text) to ‘Show other texts from this location,’ which searches for texts from the same temple or village.

Click here to see statistics of the number of texts and digital images by location.
Click here to see a map of Lao provinces.

Search by Date

The majority of dated texts are according to the Cunlasakkalat (CS), the so-called ‘Little Era,’ beginning at 638 Christian Era. Some texts are dated according to the Buddhist Era (BE, beginning at 543 BC), and a few according to the Christian Era (CE). Search of the database is possible by each of these three eras, before, between, or after selected years.

Texts which are not dated according to these three eras are entered as ‘Undated’ in the Inventory. Additional information from local calendars is provided where available, and can be searched for via the Site Search. Details of months or days have not been added to the Inventory. Texts for which the date has not yet been identified are entered as ‘Undated’ and are of course not included in search results for specific date ranges. There is an option to search for ‘Undated’ texts.

To search by date, first select the Era (Cunlasakkalat, Buddhist Era, or Christian Era) and then enter the number of the year into the ‘From’ and ‘To’ boxes. Entering only a ‘From’ date will search for any following years. Entering only a ‘To’ date will search for any previous years.

Restrict a search using 'Show Only'

Select from the options for search results to show only illustrated texts and/or only texts with colophons.

Search by PLMP Code Number

Each text surveyed and microfilmed in the Preservation of Lao Manuscripts Programme was given a unique 13-digit PLMP code number, which appears in the naming convention used for the digital images in the DLLM collection.

The first 6 digits of the code number identifies the location (province, district, and temple or village), the next 2 digits identify the category, the next 3 digits identify the manuscript bundle, and the final 2 digits identify the text within the bundle. This number appears at the bottom of each digital image.

A search option is provided in the Home page for all 13 digits (for a unique text) or the first 11 digits only (for all the digitised texts within a particular manuscript bundle).

Note: In a few cases, the code number appearing on the PLMP data sheet and at the bottom of the digital image frames has been corrected in the DLLM collection. All such cases are noted under Remarks in the inventory.

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Results Help

View the brief inventory details and click on a title to see images of the text, or return to the Search page to modify the search criteria.

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Text Overview Help

The Text Overview page displays the inventory details of a text together with thumbnail images and a preview screen. Click on a thumbnail image to view it and scroll by dragging the cursor.

A zoom feature is provided on the Text Overview page. Click on ‘Show large image’ and rescale the box to see a larger or full-screen image. Once downloaded, images can be enlarged using viewing software.

There is an option to ‘Download this text’ as a zipped folder of 72 ppi JPEG images. Please note that the file sizes of some texts are very large and may take time depending upon your Internet connection. The size of the file is given on the web page.

Single images can be downloaded by copying to your computer. On PC, use Right Click, and then select ‘Copy Image’ or ‘Save Image As…’. On Mac, use Control + Click (or Right Click) and select ‘Save Image to the Desktop’ or ‘Save Image As…’.

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